Interview Question: "What Are Some Good Ways To Motivate Staff?"

Interviews are an opportunity for employers to ask candidates in-depth questions to gain a better understanding of who they are. For those entering professions involving managerial or supervising duties, the interviewer may ask questions regarding the candidate's methods for motivating employees to meet their goals and boost company-wide success. If you're interested in applying for a management or leadership position at a company, it can be helpful to be familiar with common interview questions you may encounter to increase the confidence and clarity of your responses. In this article, we discuss why employers ask questions about ways to motivate staff members and share some sample answers to guide you when preparing for your own interview. Related: Types of Motivation in the Workplace (With Examples)

Why employers ask about ways you motivate staff members

Interview questions often explore a potential employee's character, work ethic, stress response and background to provide employers with insight when considering candidates. When interviewing for a management or leadership role with a new company, the hiring manager may want to hear about your methods for motivating any staff you oversee in your current or previous job. The role of a manager is to measure and evaluate the progress of employees to ensure they're meeting company goals. Employers may ask variations of this question to determine your proficiency in inspiring others to succeed. Managers and other leadership positions are usually responsible for the outcomes of their staff, meaning that the quality of employee work can reflect directly on the motivation and organization skills of the manager. Individuals interviewing for supervisor positions can also encounter this type of question, as they have many of the same responsibilities as managers, albeit on a smaller scale. It's not uncommon for interviewers to ask general candidates this type of question, regardless of the level of their prospective decision. Employers often want to know how you can contribute to the morale and productivity of the company. Related: The Best Ways To Motivate Your Team

How to answer the interview question "What are some good ways to motivate staff?"

Here are some steps you can follow to prepare for this question in an upcoming job interview:

1. Consider past motivation techniques

When preparing to answer a question like this, consider past instances where you successfully used motivation techniques with employees. Identify what those techniques involved and what about them inspired your staff to meet their productivity goals. Try to determine how you could apply this motivational method to the job you're interviewing for by relating it to the work processes and goals of that company.

2. Research new motivation methods

Another way to prepare for answering questions about motivation techniques is to research effective methods for managing staff. There are various techniques and exercises people in leadership positions can use to motivate their employees, including incentives, milestones, rewards and group challenges. Read about these different strategies and determine which ones are most appropriate for the job you're interviewing for.

3. Provide an example

The next step to preparing this question is to ensure your answer includes a concise and relevant example of your motivation techniques in action. Consider the various times you inspired your colleagues and choose an example in which the end result had positive impacts on the company. For example, if there was an instance where you offered your employees a half day off if they all met their quota, this could be a valuable example of how your use of incentives motivated your staff to succeed.

4. Elaborate on how these motivation techniques inspire you

Lastly, elaborate on ways you apply your motivation techniques to your own duties. This can demonstrate to the interviewer that you genuinely believe in your motivation methods, as they proved effective for both you and your staff. Explain in detail how these motivation techniques contributed to your own success and how you could use these methods to inspire employees at the company to which you're applying. Related: How To Prepare For a Management Interview (With Tips and Examples)

Example answers for "What are some good ways to motivate staff?"

Here are some sample answers you can use as a reference when rehearsing interview questions about motivation techniques:

Example 1: School principal

"In my five years as an elementary school principal, I've used many motivation techniques to inspire my staff. The one that I found to be most effective was using team challenges and rewards as incentives. During my second year as principal, the school board organized a county-wide competition in which school staff had four months to lose weight. Whichever school lost the most weight during that time would win a $500 gift card for each staff member. At the end of the four months, the 35 teachers in my school lost a combined total of 402 pounds, which averaged out to about 11 pounds per teacher. We won the county competition and each staff member got their gift card, which they were free to use for whatever purpose they pleased. I was very proud of my staff and from then on used this incentive technique to motivate them to meet their goals, although with smaller rewards such as free snacks and discounts to local restaurants."

Example 2: Customer service manager

"As a customer service manager, I think it's really important to find ways of motivating your staff to meet their productivity goals. I also think its necessary to show employees how valuable they are to the overall success of the company. That's why I use rewards and recognition as my primary methods of motivating my staff. In the past, I have found great success with these methods, particularly with customer service jobs where supervisors use quotas as a direct measure of work ethic and efficiency. In my current position, I recognize my staff's accomplishments by releasing a weekly newsletter where I name and congratulate our top three representatives of the week. Those three receive a $10 gift card to a local coffee shop and if someones is in the top three every week for a month, I reward them with a paid Friday off. I found this to be a great way to motivate my staff to surpass their work goals. It also worked to bring my staff closer together, as they would make plans to visit the coffee shop together on the weekends." Related: What Is Fear Motivation? And 4 Positive Motivational Techniques To Use Instead

Example 3: Sales director

"I think there are many ways to motivate your staff, especially in the world of sales. I think one of the best methods for inspiring my employees is to regularly provide them with individualized feedback. I do this by scheduling at least 20 minutes a month to meet with each member of my department to discuss their progress and overall experience. This is a time where my staff can bring forward any questions, concerns or suggestions to management. I believe this makes my staff more confident speaking to me and sharing their opinions. I actually had one employee in particular whom I believe really benefited from our consistent individual meetings. She was shy, made no connections with colleagues and therefore had little motivation at work. In our meetings, she expressed that her past job discouraged coworker friendships and labeled them a distraction, making her hesitant to socialize with her peers. After expressing to her that it was acceptable to develop strong coworker bonds, she became more confident talking to her coworkers and her sales subsequently increased!"

Example 4: Marketing coordinator

"Marketing is a field that depends heavily on the collaboration of colleagues, who combine their expertise to develop unique and successful campaigns and projects. It's important as a coordinator to foster an environment where staff members feel comfortable with their responsibilities and motivated to surpass their goals. To do this, I have every employee fill out a monthly goal sheet where they outline a specific accomplishment they wish to achieve by the end of the month. They identify why this achievement is special to them and how meeting it can benefit the company. At the end of the month, I return everyone's goal sheets and have them fill out a follow-up sheet, where they reveal how close they were to meeting their monthly accomplishment. Sometimes I'll choose a specific theme for their monthly achievements. For example, I may ask them to identify a creative or leadership-based goal, with the aim of addressing various important elements of marketing over the course of their employment. As a marketing coordinator, it's my job to inspire my staff to be innovative and productive throughout all of their duties."

Example 5: Art director

"I've been working as an art director at a design house for three years and during that time there were many instances in which I had to come up with motivation techniques for my staff. The method I find to be most effective is to lead by example and inspire my employees to work hard, just as I do. As art director, it's important to set a precedent for junior creative directors. I want to demonstrate the amount of work, dedication and expertise that this job requires and show them the necessary skills for succeeding in this profession. Some ways that I try to lead by example include working efficiently and treating my colleagues with respect. I think it's very important to demonstrate to people entering the design field the value of establishing a positive reputation and working amicably with others. I also want them to learn the importance of maintaining your creative spirit by regularly drawing, painting, designing, constructing or simply conceptualizing new projects and campaigns. My goal is for my staff to see me as a reputable, level-headed and hard-working individual who inspires them to achieve similar success."